Apparatus for concentrating liquids.



0. VENI'ER.

I APPARATUS FOR GONGENTRATING LIQUIDS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1908. A

SHEETS-8HEET 1.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

$1 2 31a) ;1ea 5 0. VENTER. APPARATU$ FOB GONOENTRATING LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION II-LBD SEPT.6, 1908.

937,976. Patnted 0ct.26,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Mm WW6 ANBREW. B. calm! 00., PHOYO-LIXHOBRAPNERS. WASHINGYOILEC,

in each succeeding evaporator with respect saturated, when flowing in athin layer over UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO VENTER, 0F CHEMNITZ, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING LIQUIDS.

937,976. sp ifi i n of L r P ent- Patented Oct. 26, 1909. App1icationfiled September 5, 1908. Serial No. 451,861.

To all whom it may concern: evaporation of the liquid passing thetrickle Be it known that I, O'r'ro VENTER, a subheaters is obtained bythe liquid which beject of the German Emperor, and residing gins to passeach trickle heater being heated at Chemnitz, Germany, have invented acerin a chamber. The same effect is produced tain new and usefulImproved Apparatus in a third evaporator, in the event of such a forConcentrating Liquids, of which the folone being employed, because in athird lowing is a specification. evaporator the pressure decreases withre- The present invention relates to devices spect to the preceding one.

for concentrating liquids, particularly lyes, In Order that theinvention may be clearly two or more evaporators being connected inunders ood referen e W111 e mad t he series by which the liquid or lyeis evapoacoompanying drawings in which one eml'ated under a pressuredecreasing by stag bodiment is represented by way of example, thepressure being approximately constant I and in which: in each evaporatorbut decreasing by stages Figure 1 is a vertical section through the newevaporating plant, whereas Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the heater, andFig. 3 a plan of the latter.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a cylindrical vessel capable of beingclosed and having a-horizontal axis, in which vessel a heater isarranged. The heater is formed as a trickle-evaporator and consists ofseveral, for example, two sets of seven hollow heating elements 2 whichare connected to the distribution pipe 3 and to the collecting pipe l,as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The distribution pipe 3 is connectedwith the steam admission pipe 5, and the collecting pipe L with thecondensed water discharge pipe 6. Into the distributing pipe 3 therealso opens the steam emission pipe 7 which opens at its-other end intothe condensed water separator 8. With the latter is connected the steampipe 9 which is connected with a feed heater or preheater comprising thecoil 11 in the shell 10. The coil 11 ends in the socket &1. To the shell10 is 'connected'the delivery pipe 12 of the pump 13 by means of whichthe liquid is pumped into the shell. To the top of the shell 10 there isconnected the pipe 14 adapted to be closed by the faucet 15, which pipeextends into the vessel 1 and opens into the distributing vessel 16which is open above. The various heating elements 2 each consist of thecurved walls inclosing the passageway or steam space 17 and thedistributing and heating chamber 18 situated above the space 17, thelongitudinal walls of which distributing space are provided with thedistributing openings 19. Under the heater are provided collectingvessels 20, 20 which are destined to receive the concentrated liquidleaving the heaters and to transfer the same to the pipes 21, 22. Thepipe 22 opens into the pressure vessel 23, the delivery pipe to thepreceding one.

In accordance with the invention the liquid to be evaporated alternatelyliows in a thin layer over heated surfaces and is alternately heated inchambers, the evapora: tion being effected by the first evaporator, and,if desired, by the following evaporators, working at a pressureexceeding atmospheric pressure.

An important object of the present invention therefore is to provideapparatus in which the liquid to beevaporated alternately flows in athin layer over heated surfaces and is alternately heated in chambers.The advantage is then obtained that the liquid to be evaporated afterhaving lost a part of its heat on passing the heated surfaces is heatedagain to the boiling-point in the chamber arranged between the heatedsurfaces. On account of the liquid to be evaporated being heated againin the chambers to the original temperature, it is evaporated moreactively while passing the trickle heater. The more active evaporationof the liquid passing the trickle heater causes the liquid which is tobe evaporated to become the next upper trickle heater, with a part ofthe water vapors forming under pressure in the first vessel. When theliquid after having passed the heater of the first evaporator is forcedinto the second evaporator and passes the trickle heater of the same ina thin layer, a part of the water vapors with which the liquid has beensaturated leaves the liquid, since the pressure in the second evaporatordecreases with respect to the preceding one. The escape of a part of thewater vapors contained in the liquid causes the evaporation'in thesecond evaporator to take place readily and actively. The active 24 ofwhich opens into the storage reservoir 25. The latter is connectedthrough the socket 27, adapted to be closed by means of the faucet 26,with the distributing vessel 28 of a second heater which possesses thesame arrangement as the above described heater. 7

Below the second heater there are arranged the collecting vessels 31, 32which are connected by the pipe 33 with the discharge pipe 34. Thecondensed water discharge pipe 29 of this second heater opens into thecondensing vessel 30. Above the heater inclosed in the vessel 1- the topof the vessel 1 is chambered by means of a wall 35. The chamber 36between the wall 35 and the wall of the vessel 1 is connected by thepipe 38, adapted to be closed by the faucet 37, with the steam pipe 5.The vessel 1 is provided below with a discharge-pipe 39 opening into thecondensing vessel 410 and is connected above the pipe 12 with thedistributing-pipe 43 of the second'heater.

The manner in which this deviceoperates is as follows:

Course 0/ the heating steamh-The heating steam passes through pipe 5'into the distributing pipe 3, flows to and fro in a zig-zag coursethrough the spaces 17 of the elements 2 and on through the pipe 7,giving up its heat to the walls inclosing these passage-ways 17 andthereby evaporating the llquid; The condensed water which forms is ledaway through pipe 6. Simultaneously a part of the heating steam passesthrough pipe 7 into the condensed water separator 8 and through pipe 9into the coil 11 of the preheater where it gives up the heat containedin it to the liquid surrounding the'heating coil. The condensed waterprecipitated in the coil is led away through the socket 41. Another partof the heating steam passes from the pipe 5 out through the pipe 38 intothe chamber 36 and here heats the wall 35.

Course of the liquid-This is forced by the pump 13 through the deliverypipe 12 into the preheater 10, is here heated by the heating coil 11 andthen passes through pipe 14: into the distributing vessel 16. The liquidflows out of the latter into the two distributing chambers 18 of theuppermost heating elements, and fills up the same. In the'chambers 18the liquid is heated to boiling-point by the steam passing through thespaces-17 Then the liquid flows through the openings 19 in a thin layerover the exterior surfaces of the walls inclosing the spaces 17,descends from said surfaces in fine jets or drops into the distributingchambers 18 of the two next heating elements. When the liquid flows in athin layer over the heated surfaces and is evaporated upon thesesurfaces, it loses a part of its heat, but is heated again to boilingpoint in the chambers 18 of the two next heating elements. Then theliquid trickles through the openings 19 in the chambers 18 again in athin layer over the external surfaces of the walls inclosing the steamspaces 17 and then passes into the distributing chambers 18 of the twothird-highest heating elements, in which the liquidis heatedagain. Inthe same manner the liquid passes the next following heating elementsand passes finally into the collecting vessel 20. From the latter it isled through the pipes 21, 22 into the pressure-vessel 23 which isprovided with one of those well known contrivances for automaticallyregulat-ing the entrance of the liquid 1nto the pressure vessel and theexit of the same into the discharge-pipe. From the pressure vessel theliquid is forced through the pipe 24 into the storage reservoir'25 fromwhich it passes into the distributing vessel 28 of the secondevaporating vessel. From the latter it passes the second heater in thesame manner as previously the first. Theconcentrated liquid collects inthe vessel 31, 32 and is delivered by the latter to the p pes 33, 3awhich lead it to the place where it s further treated.

In the vessel 1 the liquid which passes over the heaters is evaporatedunder pressure. If, for example, the heating steam of the heating bodypossesses an excess pressure of three atmospheres, after permanency hasbeen reached an excess pressure of about 1.5 atmospheres will obtain 1nconsequence of the lively evaporation taking place in the closed vessel1, so that the b011- ing temperature of the liquld should he at about128 O. The water vapors forming under pressure in the vessel 1 passthrough pipe 12 into the distributing pipe 43 of the second heater, andwill here flow through the heating elements 44 andcorrespondlnglyfurther concentrate the liquid trickling over the same. The condensedwater forming in the second heater is led through pipe 29 into thecondensing vessel'30.

Since the wall 35 is heated, the water vapor escaping from theevaporated liquid and rising upward cannotlcondense on said wall 35 andfall back into the vessel 16. The condensed water deposited on thelateral portions of the vessel 1 is led through pipe 39 into thecondensing vessel 40. 7

It is obvious that instead of'connecting in series two evaporators,several evaporators, for example four, may be connected. In this casethe excess pressure under which the evaporation'takes place wouldlikewise fall by stages down to one atmosphere, whereby the same highefficiency as in the former four-body apparatus working under vacuumwould be obtained.

Further, the above described process can be employed in combination withthe .well

distributing known method in which evaporation takes place under avacuum, and in this manner a combined evaporation process can beemployed in which the evaporation is conducted partially under pressurein excess of atl mospheric pressure and partially under a partialvacuum. 1

What I claim as my invention and desire 1 to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In apparatus for concentrating liquids, the combination, with anevaporator comprising a closed vessel containing a trickle heater, apipe for supplying liquid to said heater, a pipe for supplying steam tosaid heater, and a pipe for conducting steam from said heater, of a"feed heater co1nprising a shell and a coil, said coil being connectedwith said last named pipe and said i shell with said first named pipe,and a pump for forcing liquid to be concentrated through said shelltosaid heater.

2. In apparatus for concentrating liquids,

the combination, with an evaporator comprising a closed vesselcontaining a trickle heater, a pipe for supplying liquid to said heater,a pipe for supplying steam to said heater, and a pipe for conductingsteam from said heater, of a feed heater comprising a shell and a coil,said coil being connected with said last named pipe and said shell withsaid first named pipe, and a pump for forcing liquid to be concentratedthrough said shell to said heater, the inside of said vessel beingchambered above said heater, and a pipe connected with said steam supplypipe and opening in the chamber above said heater.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM J. KOUJETSEN, FREDERICK J. DIETZMAN.

